Can You Ever Go Home Again?
by Copper's Mama
Summary: Jackie comes back to Point Place after 5 years, barely a shell of who she used to be. Can anyone fix her broken heart? 5 years after they graduate, with my own twists. Jackie/Hyde pairing of course. Please read and review! Rated M for later.
1. Chapter 1

_..._

_A Jackie/Hyde fic. _

_Chapter One. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: I don't own That 70s Show in any way, shape, or form. _

_..._

_A/N: So I've just started watching That 70s Show again, starting from season 5. I absolutely adore the Jackie/Hyde relationship, and wish they had never ended it. Fez is awesome, but Hyde rules all! _

_So this fic is taken from 5 years after Hyde cheated on Jackie, and she left right after graduation. _

_She started out a whole, happy girl, and 5 years later, when she comes back for Eric and Donna's wedding, she's barely a shell of the girl they used to know. _

_Is there anything Hyde can do to bring her back? Will Jackie even want him too? _

_Hehe, let's find out!_

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

...

Jackie opened the letter addressed to her by Donna's writing. She kept in contact with her old friend by letter mostly, but a few times she called home, mostly when she was drunk enough to not care.

She knew her old friends worried about her, but she made a point of not being close enough to anyone to let them worry.

She hadn't been back to Point Place in 5 years. And now, as she opened the letter from Donna, and the thin invitation fell out, her heart dropped momentarily.

It was a wedding invitation.

Eric and Donna were getting married. She skimmed the invitation, hopeful for a second that she wouldn't have to go back, but she found the address of a Church in Point Place, and sighed.

_Damn._

But, she picked up the phone and dialed Donna's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Donna, it's Jackie. I just got you invitation."

"Oh, hey, Jackie, that's great, I can't wait to see you! Everyone's so excited to see you!" Donna told her.

"They aren't excited for your wedding?" Jackie asked.

She could practically hear Donna nodding and bouncing.

"Well, yeah, but it's been a long time coming," Donna explained. "You coming home ... well, it's exciting."

Jackie closed her eyes, but forced a smile into her voice. "Yeah, I can't wait."

"So, when can you get here?" her old friend wondered.

"Well, I'll have to make some calls into work, tell them I won't be in for a couple weeks," Jackie said, knowing there was no way she could get away with only being there for a few days.

Hell, Donna would march all the way to New York City and drag her ass back to Point Place in chains if Jackie even joked about missing out on any part of the wedding.

"So, I should be there in a couple days."

"That's great, I can't wait!"

"Me neither," Jackie said. _Well ... actually, I could. _

...

"Dad, she's coming," Donna said. "Jackie's going to be here for my wedding!"

Bob smiled at his daughter. "That's great, Sweetheart, I'm happy for you."

Just then Hyde walked in.

"Hey," he said, grabbing a beer out of the fridge. "What's up?"

Donna looked at her father, then back at Hyde. "Oh, just going over wedding stuff. Invite lists and stuff."

"Cool," Hyde said. "You guys still doing the small ceremony?"

Donna nodded. "Yeah, just family and friends. Which reminds me, please don't forget to pick up Eric's grandparents at the airport."

Hyde rolled his eyes. "When have I ever forgotten?"

Donna raised her eyebrows at him, and he put up his hands.

"Don't worry about it."

Hyde stood up, beer in hand, and turned to walk back out. When he reached the door, he stopped and turned back towards Donna.

"Hey, um did you invite ..."

He trailed off, looking out the window.

"Hmm?" Donna wondered, looking down at her guest list, and putting a check by Jackie's name.

"Uh, never mind," Hyde said, and left.

"You're not gonna tell him?" Bob asked his daughter.

"Are you kidding me?" Donna said. "I'm not that stupid."

...

Jackie sighed again, hanging up the phone. She had just finished calling the magazine to tell them she wouldn't be in the next couple of weeks because of a family emergency. It wasn't technically a lie. Donna had been like a sister to her, and weddings could become an emergency if not planned right.

She started packing her bags, ending up with only two suitcases and her purse. She was ready sooner than she would have liked, but eventually she had to call the airline to book her flight.

The stupid airline people were way too perky, and were able to get her a seat on the flight leaving the very next day.

"Gee, thanks," she had said before saying her forced polite goodbyes.

She had almost hoped there would be a problem with bringing her dog on board, but apparently they offered separate dog travel, that was entirely humane, so she couldn't even back out because of Copper.

"Well, pup, it looks like we're going back to Hell," she commented, and her Bernise Mountain Dog/Australian Sheppard perked his ears at her.

"Yeah, you look all cheerful now, just wait until you meet Red. One bark and his foot is up your ... yeah."

She scratched her dog's ears playfully and he panted happily in response.

She sighed once more. _I so don't want to go back there. I don't want to see ... I don't want to go back there. _

...

_Okay, short I know, but I just wanted to set everything in motion, and I didn't want the suspense about Jackie and Hyde possibly seeing each other again in the same chapter as Jackie coming back. _

_Also, I do actually have a bernise mountain dog / australian sheppard named Copper, named after my favorite kids movie, The Fox and the Hound. He's pretty much awesome. _

_I have no guarantees that this will follow "what happened after they graduated" as it did in the series, because I haven't watched much after season 5. I love the Jackie/Hyde relationship, and hate watching stuff after they've broken up. _

_Anyways, this was chapter one, I hope you liked it so far, I'll try to update as soon as I can!_

_Please leave some feedback!_


	2. Chapter 2

_..._

_A Jackie/Hyde fic._

_Chapter Two. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: I don't own That 70s Show in any way, shape, or form. _

_..._

_A/N: Okay, so in this chapter, Jackie comes back to Point Place after 5 years. Everyone notices that she's changed, but it's not until she sees Hyde again that they notice how broken she is. _

_Also in this fic, Donna and Eric weren't engaged when Jackie was still in Point Place. _

_Hehe, I'm having fun writing this. _

_P.S. my dog is nowhere near as well behaved as I write him in this fic, but we can all dream, can't we? _

_Anyways, as always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

...

Her plane had landed over an hour ago, and though she had dragged it out as much as she could, she finally had her dog, her luggage, and her cab, and now she was on her way to the Pinciotti's to see Donna.

She'd had to pay the cab guy extra to allow her dog, Copper, to sit on the seat with her, instead of in his kennel, but her puppy was already upset about having to fly in his kennel, surrounded by a bunch of other upset animals in their kennels. It hadn't been his idea of fun, she knew.

But, he loved car-rides, so she figured she was making it up to him by letting him sit in the backseat with her.

The cab pulled up in front of the house, and already Jackie felt like she was having an acid flashback. Nothing had changed, not really.

"Um, Miss, is this the right address?" the cab driver asked her.

Jackie nodded grimly, and paid the man, grabbing her bags and opening the door, Copper getting out first.

Being raised in New York City, Copper new better than to run off, but he did walk ahead to start sniffing everything.

"Thank you," she said, closing the door.

The driver nodded to her, and drove away, and Jackie turned back to the house in front of her.

Sighing, she called to her dog.

"Come on, Copper. Let's get in there," she said, and he moved towards her instantly.

She felt grateful that her dog didn't need a leash to listen to her. She'd rescued him from an abusive family, and he'd stuck by her side ever since, never wanting to go anywhere without her. She still had a hard time leaving him at home when she went to work.

Setting aside one of her suicases, she took a deep breath, then knocked on the front door.

She heard some chatter from inside, and then the door was opened by a much older Eric than she remembered.

"Jackie?"

She nodded. "You look different."

Eric smiled."Yeah, you two. Hey, who's the mutt?"

Jackie glared at him. "His name is Copper, and watch your language, he's no mutt."

Eric raised his eyebrows at how protective she was of her dog, but opened the door for them to enter.

Jackie carried in all her bags, which also surprised Eric. He had been fully prepared to hear her barking orders the second she saw him, but she didn't. Aside from telling him not to bad-mouth her dog.

He opened his mouth to speak, but just then Donna came into the room.

"Jackie!" she squealed, rushing towards her friend and wrapping her arms around her. "You came!"

Jackie choked out, "I said I would. Donna, can't breathe."

Donna let go, smiling brightly.

"Oh my god, how are you?"

Jackie shrugged. "Good. So, you're marrying Foreman?"

Donna smiled, nodding, also surprised that Jackie wasn't talking her ear off about everything going on in her life.

"Well, come on into the living room. Oh, who's this?"

Copper had started sniffing Donna's legs.

Jackie smiled genuinely. "This is my gorgeous baby, Copper," she introduced.

"Oh, cool. When did you get him?"

"Just over two years ago," Jackie explained. "His family was abusing him, and I brought him home with me."

"Oh my god," Donna said, giving the hyper dog some scratches. "That's terrible."

"Yeah. I convinced my editor to do a piece on animal abuse after that. I don't know how much good it did, but it was just something important to me."

Donna nodded, pleased that her friend cared so much about something other than herself. _Wow, Jackie's all grown up._

"So, where am I putting these?" she wondered, picking up her suitcases.

"Oh, Eric can take those up to your room," Donna said.

Eric was about to do just that, but Jackie gripped her bags tighter.

"I have two arms," she said. "Just point the way, and I'll be right back."

"Um ... okay," Donna said. "Upstairs, spare room. You know where it is."

Jackie gave her friend a stiff smile. "Thanks."

Eric and Donna watched her go, Copper following her closely.

"So, she's changed," Eric said.

"Yeah ... weird."

...

Jackie got her room all set up, including Copper's bed, before she came back downstairs.

"I'm gonna take Copper for a walk, you guys want to come?"

Eric and Donna looked surprised for a second, but then agreed.

The four of them walked down the streets of Point Place, deciding to visit Red and Kitty after the walk. Jackie wanted Copper to get used to the neighborhood, and needed some time herself to get used to being back.

So much happened to her here, so much that she didn't want to talk about, even think about. The worst of it being what Steven did to her.

"So, um, when did you two get engaged?" Jackie wondered.

Donna and Eric smiled. "About a month ago."

"That's great," Jackie said. "What did Dad say?"

Even though she didn't talk to the Point Place people as often as they would like, she still thought of Bob as her father ... he'd been so good to her.

"He was very protective at first, did the whole "intentions" talk with Eric, and the threatening to kill him if he hurt me, but eventually he warmed up to the idea.

Jackie nodded. "So, two weeks away from the big day. Nervous?"

Both Donna and Eric nodded. "Of course, it's such a huge step, but we wouldn't be doing it if we weren't ready."

"So what about you, Jackie? Anyone special in your life?" Donna asked her.

"Of course," she said.

Donna and Eric gave her a "continue?" look.

"Well, you're looking right at him," she said, smiling down at her dog, whose ears perked again, knowing she was talking about him, giving his tail an extra wag. "This pup is the love of my life."

Donna smiled. "Well, sure, but there isn't anyone, you know ... human, in your life?"

Jackie shook her head, still looking at Copper. "There's no one that I'm interested in. I have my work and Copper, and that's good enough."

Donna sensed that Jackie really didn't want to talk about her and relationships, so she dropped the subject.

They were quiet for the rest of the walk, and finally they came back around to the Foreman's house.

As Eric opened the front door, and they all went in, Jackie felt a pit growing in her stomach.

After everything that had happened when she lived here, it brought back too many memories to be back in this house. But, she put on her 'poker' face, and moved into the kitchen. Red and Kitty were there, sitting at the table, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper.

Red looked up as Copper pranced towards him, tail wagging and tongue hanging out.

"What the hell is this doing in my kitchen?" he demanded, looking at his wife, then at Eric and Donna.

"His name is Copper, and he wanted to say hi," Jackie said, with a surprising amount of bitterness in her voice.

"Jackie? Is that you?" Kitty asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Foreman," Jackie said, allowing the older woman to hug her.

"Will someone get this mutt out of my face?" Red complained as Copper jumped onto his lap, trying to play with the grumpy old man.

Jackie rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers twice, calling Copper over to her. He sat down by her feet, looking both sad and confused.

"He wasn't hurting you Mr. Foreman, he was saying hello. It wouldn't kill you to at least pretend to be nice," she said, before walking away to take Copper back over to Donna's house.

Everyone in the kitchen was quiet as they stood, waiting for Jackie to return.

They all looked at Red, waiting for him to explode.

"I like her," he said, flipping his newspaper back up and starting to read.

Donna and Eric looked at each other with surprised expressions on their faces, and Kitty just looked annoyed.

"It figures. Someone has the balls to stand up to him, and that he likes," she mumbled, walking over to the fridge to get a drink.

"What is up with her?" Donna asked Eric, sitting down at the table beside Red.

"I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't even talk to him like that," Eric said.

"Damn right," Red commented, flipping the page over.

"She's so different," Donna said, just as Hyde walked through the sliding door.

"Who's so different?" he wondered, sitting down and taking the discarded half of Red's paper.

"Um ..." Donna looked to Eric for help.

_Crap! _

"Uh, hey man, there was, uh, something I wanted you to look at in the, uh ..."

But he was interrupted from his babbling as Jackie walked into the kitchen, talking about leaving the dog in the back yard, and then stopped dead as she saw Steven Hyde sitting at the kitchen table.

...

_Okay, end of chapter two. I hope you're liking it so far. _

_Feedback is wanted, appreciated, desired ... requested? _


	3. Chapter 3

_..._

_A Jackie/Hyde fic._

_Chapter Three._

_..._

_Disclaimer: I don't own That 70s Show in any way, shape, or form. _

_..._

_A/N: I hope you guys are liking the story so far. So, in the last chapter, Jackie came back to Point Place, and saw Donna, Eric, Red, and Kitty, and just saw Hyde at the end of the last chapter. _

_I wonder what will happen with those crazy kids in this chapter. Who knows? ... oh yeah, me!!! Hehe. _

_It's possible I'm on a sugar high. _

_Anyways, here's the next chapter._

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

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"Jackie?" came the voice of her ex-boyfriend.

Jackie remained rooted to the spot, unable to move, or even talk as the memories swam through her head.

The time they all went skinny-dipping, and she pretended that she wasn't looking at him, their first date, when she'd lied and said she'd felt nothing when they kissed, the summer they'd finally gotten together. The way he'd made her feel when they were together, like no one ever had. And the way he'd broken her heart when he'd cheated on her.

She had felt like she could never trust anyone again, and she'd been right. Her first month in New York, and the man who'd assaulted her. After that, she'd promised to never let anyone get close enough to hurt her, ever again. She'd taken self-defense classes, and dared anyone to try to hurt her.

Now, looking at the one man she had ever really loved, she completely forgot the robot she had forced herself to become. Not a childhool infatuation like with Michael. She had been so naive then. Even with Steven, she had been a child, but her heart hadn't lied to her then.

Even now she knew that she had loved him with all of her heart, and he had hurt her. He had broken her heart.

"Jackie? Are you okay?" Donna asked her, breaking her out of her trance.

"What? Yeah, of course," she said, not looking at Steven. "I'm fine."

Everyone in the room looked at her, waiting for her to acknowledge her ex, but she never did.

"Uh, sorry, I just remembered it's Copper's lunch time," she said, turning to leave the room. "I'll, uh, be right back."

They watched her go, no one saying anything until Red set down his paper.

"Well, that was awkward," he said, standing up to refill his coffee.

Hyde remained in his seat at the table, not saying anything, the sunglasses he always wore hiding away his emotions. Donna and Eric stood by the kitchen counter, fidgeting, until Donna finally said, "Maybe I should go talk to her."

But no sooner had she turned to leave the kitchen, did Jackie walk back in.

"Okay, so what's on the agenda for today?" she wondered, a forced smile on her face.

Donna looked at her old friend with confused eyes, but realizing Jackie didn't want to talk about herself at the moment, decided to talk about wedding details.

"Well, actually I was going to ask a favor of you."

"Sure, anything," Jackie said, focusing solely on Donna.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd be my maid of honor," Donna asked.

For a second, a true grin started to form on Jackie's lips, but then the picture of being a maid of honor reminded her that she would likely never get married, and she forced a new smile onto her face.

"Of course, Donna, I would love to be your maid of honor," Jackie said, hugging her friend. "Well, I guess we have a lot of planning to do then, let's get cracking."

Jackie led Donna out of the kitchen, not saying goodbye to, or even acknowledging the rest of the people in the kitchen.

.....................................................................................................................................................................................

Hyde and Eric were shooting hoops in the driveway when Hyde suddenly punched Eric in the arm.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"For not telling me that Jackie was coming back, you moron!" Hyde explained.

"What? It's been five years, I didn't think it'd be an issue."

Hyde stared at him.

"She hasn't talked to me in five years, of course it's gonna be an issue!" he said.

Eric rolled his eyes at his best friend.

"Especially with her being the maid of honor, man," Hyde continued. "Man, the best man and the maid of honor always have to do ... stuff."

"Stuff?" Eric repeated.

"I don't know ... wedding stuff, and there's all the implied jokes and whatnot."

Suddenly, Eric started laughing.

"What?"

Eric shook his head, but continued laughing.

"What, you douche?"

Eric took a breath. "You totally have to walk her down the aisle."

Hyde hit him on the arm, harder this time.

"And you have to dance with her at the reception!"

"Get bent!" he yelled at his best friend, hitting him once more on the shoulder before he walked away, missing the chuckle escaping his friend's lips.

.....................................................................................................................................................................................

"So, Jackie, do you, like, wanna talk?" Donna asked the brunette.

"About what? We've already finished everything on today's list."

Donna shook her head. "No, I mean about Hyde and you."

Jackie's face hardened. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Really? 'Cause the tension in the kitchen before ... serious unfinished business," Donna said.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Hardly. He cheated on me, we broke up ... end of story."

"Well, I just mean ... you left right after graduation, and he's changed a lot since then, I just think maybe you should -"

"I should what, Donna? Give him another chance?"

Donna shrugged. "Maybe."

Jackie called over her dog and started scratching his ears. "I might agree with you if I still had feelings for him. But I don't. I have my life in New York now, and he isn't a part of it."

"That's right, I forgot. You have your work, and your dog, and that's all you need."

Jackie nodded, not catching the sarcasm in Donna's voice.

_Except you're forgetting one thing Jackie ... I always could see right through you. _

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_Okay, end of chapter three. _

_What did you guys think of this one?_

_Feedback is wanted, appreciated, desired ... requested?_


	4. Chapter 4

_..._

_A Jackie/Hyde fic._

_Chapter Four. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: I don't own That 70s show in any way, shape, or form. _

_..._

_A/N: I hope you're all liking this so far, I know I'm enjoying writing it. For those of you wondering, there will be some Jackie/Hyde interaction in this chapter, woohoo! _

_Anyways ... I was getting writer's block just writing the Author's Note, so on with story, huh? (And as a Canadian, I rarely say "eh?". I say "huh?" or "hmm?". I have never said the word "about" as "aboot" ... that's just weird. And it would be effing awesome to live in an igloo ... I never get cold, but I heat up very easily, so winter is my favorite season ... this, however, cannot be said about all Canadians ... ) _

_Blah, enough out of me ... and on with the story!_

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

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Hyde slowly made his way up to the spare room in Donna's house. He had wanted to ignore her, just let her be ... but with him being Best Man, and her being Maid of Honor, they were going to have to talk eventually. So, he figured sooner was better than later.

He heard her talking as he got closer to the room, and slowed down to hear what she was saying.

"Oh, Copper, it's just awful being back here. I know you love it, getting to see and smell all these new people, but you don't know how hard it is for me to be back here. To see him."

Jackie paused, and Steven stopped outside her door, being as quiet as he could.

"It's been five years, Copper. You'd think that would be enough time for me to get over what he did. And I want to. I look at him, and I can remember how he used to make me feel. He was the one man I ever really loved. You didn't know me then, Copper, I was so different. I was this stupid, air-head bimbo ... I was pathetic. And what happened with Steven is only part of what changed me ... I mean, there was that guy in New York who ... attacked me. I think that was really a huge eye-opener for me. Showed me that the only person who was gonna save me was me. And then I got you, you stinky puppy, and you know that you complete me," she said, playfully tussling his hair.

Jackie sighed. "I just have to get through these two weeks, then I can get back home ... back to the only one-bedroom apartment that allows dogs."

Suddenly Copper took off for the door, pushing it open to reveal Steven Hyde standing there, jaw clenched, a surprised look on his face.

"Steven, were you eavesdropping?" Jackie wondered, annoyed.

He didn't say anything, barely acknowledged Copper scratching at his jeans, wanting him to play with him.

"How much did you hear?" she wanted to know.

He looked down at her through his shades. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you were attacked," he said.

Jackie looked away. "You weren't there. It wouldn't have made a difference."

"I would have come," he said honestly. "I would have protected you."

Jackie snorted. "I don't need you to protect me, Steven. I haven't needed you for a long time."

She tried to push past him, but he blocked her.

"What?" she asked, louder than necessary.

"Look, I came up here for a reason, okay."

"You mean other than to listen in on my conversations?" she asked icily.

Steven pursed his lips, and cocked an eyebrow.

"Fine, what?"

Steven sighed, saying, "Look, this is going to be a long two weeks. Especially with you being Maid of Honor, and me Best Man. So can we, I dunno, call a truce or something?"

Jackie hadn't even considered the possibility of him being Best Man. This was going to be a nightmare.

"Fine, whatever, truce," she said.

He held out his hand, and she shook it quickly, looking down at her dog.

"I need to take Copper for a walk, excuse me," she said.

"I'll join you," he said, overcome with a sudden urge to never let her be alone again.

Jackie clenched her jaw, but nodded once, and the three of them left Donna's house.

.....................................................................................................................................................................................

"So, uh, what have you been up to?" Hyde inquired.

_You mean since you cheated on me and broke my heart?_ "Not much. Just work."

"Oh, that's cool. Uh, what do you do?"

_You mean besides spending every day trying not to think about you? _"I write for Vogue Magazine, mostly critiquing bad fashions. You?"

"I uh, own the record store in town. Grooves. It's actually my dad's store.

"Didn't he run out on you again?" Jackie wondered.

Hyde chuckled. "Oh, that's right, you weren't there for that."

_It would physically kill you to explain yourself in one full sentence?_

"Weren't there for what?" she asked instead.

"Uh, well, turns out my 'dad' wasn't my real dad," he said. "My real dad is WB. He owns a chain of record stores. He's also black."

Jackie stared at him. "No way."

"Way."

"Wow ... although it does explain a lot. Your fro, your hatred of 'the man', your coo- ... it does explain a lot," she said.

Hyde smiled. "Yeah, that's pretty much what I said. Anyway, I started working for him at the store in town, and about two years ago he handed the store over to me. I work there with my sister."

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah, she takes over my dad though ... I mean, physically speaking."

Jackie nodded. "Okay. Well that's kinda cool. I mean, who would have thought ..."

Jackie trailed off, realizing that she was talking to Steven.

"Anyway, it must be cool," she finished monotone.

Hyde's faced dropped, but he nodded, hiding his disappointment in his eyes, hidden behind his glasses.

"Yeah, it is. He's pretty cool," Hyde said. "A lot better than the dad I originally thought was mine."

Jackie nodded, continuing on with the rest of Copper's walk in silence.

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"So, do you think those crazy kids will get back together?" Eric wondered.

"Crazy kids?" Donna repeated. "You sound like an old fogie."

Eric rolled his eyes and pulled her into his arms. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Chuckles."

"I hope they do get back together," Donna said. "They were good together, as wrong as it was. They sort of ..."

"Complimented each other?" Eric finished.

"In a weird way, yeah."

"Well, who knows? It's two weeks until the wedding ... maybe the time together will do them some good."

"Maybe."

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_Okay, end of chapter four._

_I hope you guys liked this one. Don't be shy about leaving feedback, good or bad. _

_Until next time ...!_


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